Buenos dias los pescadores!  Typical winter fishing down here right now; call it a pargo (snapper) buffet this week.  The waters in the Sea of Cortez are still offering a nice variety of species right now.  However, with the winds still a factor, it is much more pleasant to stay closer to shore then get out into the open waters.  When calm, the weather was nice and warm for most of this past week, with temperatures in the low 80’s.  Small Yellowtails, make an appearance, giving a little deja vu to last year’s Yellowtail action.

Pargo fishing is a real challenge that really puts an anglers skills to the test.  These great eating fish venture into the shallow waters to spawn and use the rocks as shelter.  If you’re not ready to go, they’ll dart back into their holes and usually lose you in the process.  When this happens, the only technique that occasionally works is to put the reel in free-spool and wait.  Pargo hit hard too and can be pretty big & strong fish; controlling their head following the strike, is the your best ticket for success.

The Sierra Mackerel are still biting and provide a nice change-up.  As stated before, most fishing is inshore right now.  Water temps are down, still in the high 60’s; typical of late winters down in La Paz.  Cabrilla (sea bass) are another great inshore fish that seem to be getting bigger.  These can be a blast on light tackle; I actually dusted off an old casting rod and went after a few.  Don’t let their stocky build fool you, these buggers will get airborne!  Great fun.

Well, for the Southern California anglers that read this report, the Yellowtail are here!  I’m not making the call for good, but they’ve sporadically showed up over the month, but went off pretty strong this week.  Last year was great fishing for forks and we’re praying for the same or better this year.  Heading South from La Paz towards Las Arenas and Bahia de los Suenos is where the better spots for fishing and wind shelter were this past week.  Live or dead sardines was the food of choice, but getting those reaction bites while using jigs and lures always puts a smile on an angler’s face.

Enjoy one of our most popular recipes that can be made right on the MARIANA:

Spicy Fish Tacos w/ Corn Salsa

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup corn
• 1/2 cup diced red onion
• 1 cup peeled, chopped jicama
• 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 2 tablespoons sour cream
• 2 tablespoons cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 6 fillets of fresh fish recently caught with www.LaPazFishingCharters.com
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 12 corn tortillas, warmed

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat grill for high heat.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together corn, red onion, jicama, red bell pepper, and cilantro. Stir in lime juice and zest.
3. In a small bowl, combine cayenne pepper, ground black pepper, and salt. Brush each fillet with olive oil, and sprinkle with spices.
4. Arrange fillets on grill grate, and cook for 3 minutes per side. For each fiery fish taco, top two corn tortillas with fish, sour cream, and corn salsa.